Display container



July 26, 1966 c. J. ABEND ETAL 3,262,558

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed May 17, 196

INVENTOR.

CHESTER J. ABEND By WILLIAM A. MORRISON AGENT United States Patent 3,262,558 DISPLAY CONTAINER Chester J. Abend, Camillus, and William A. Morrison,

Solvay, N.Y., assignors to SCM Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,359 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-4515) This invention relates to a combination article display and container and more particularly to a novel container having an open position for readily displaying articles and having a closed position for storing or transporting articles. In this instance the articles are interchangeable printing elements and associated key caps for typewriters or like machines.

It is inconvenient and time consuming to select a particular article, such as an interchangeable printing element, from articles dropped at random in a conventional container. This is especially true in locating a specific interchangeable printing element since the elements need to be picked up one at a time until the desired element is found.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a combination container which, when closed, stores articles, and which, when opened, displays articles for convenient selective removal therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination container as defined above which can be readily converted from a closed storage container to an open display rack.

Other objects and further novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the 'appended claims and the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of the display container shown in the opened display position;

FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of the display container shown in the closed position;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the invention consists mainly of a prismatically shaped member 12 which is pivotally assembled to a base 1 by two pins 14 (one of which is shown). Side 18 of member 12 has a plurality of openings and forms for supporting the printing elements 20 and their respective key caps 22. The two end walls 30 and 32 of 12 are straddled by the two end walls 16 of base and the pivotal axis of member 12 is substantially along the corner edge that is opposite the side 18 of member 12. This corner edge forms a right angle on member 12 which, when closed (FIGURE 2), conforms with the shape of base 10 to form an enclosed rectangular container.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 the pin 14 is comprised of two different diameter shanks 24 and 26 separated by a larger flange 28 which is substantially midway of the pins length. The larger diameter shank 26 is press fitted into the end wall 32 of member 12 and is limited by the flange 28 abutting its counter bore limit in end wall 32. The smaller diameter shank 24 extends into a slightly larger hole 34 in the base end wall 16.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the side 18 of member 12 has two fingers 36 midway of its length to cooperate with one or both of two recesses 38 on the inside surfaces 37 of the base side walls 40 and midway of their length to detent and secure the position of 12 in either the opened position (FIGURE 3) or the closed position (FIGURE 4). The fingers 36 and the recesses 38 are so shaped and the base 10 is so constructed that when a slight force is applied against member 12 to rotate it about pins 14 (clockwise to close in FIGURE 3 or counter-clockwise to open in FIGURE 4), the base side walls 40 will yield outward foregression of the fingers 36 from their respective recesses to allow free rotational move ment of member 12. When member 12 has been rotated toward its alternate position until the fingers 36 abut the inside surfaces 37 of the base side walls 40, a slightly greater force on member 12 is applied and the base side walls 40 will again yield for ingression of the fingers 36 with the recesses 38 to snap member 12 into the secured position. It can now be seen that member 12 can be held in three different positions by the detent means of fingers 36 and recesses 38, one is a closed position as shown in FIGURE 4, a second is an open position by pivoting member 12 approximately in one direction from the closed position and the third is an open position by pivoting member 12 approximately 90 in a direction opposite of the first open position.

The openings and forms of side 18 (FIGURE 1) are so constructed that they frictionally support the type heads 20 and their respective key caps 22 regardless of the position of member 12.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A combination article display andcontainer comprising:

(a) a base having two yieldable walls and two end walls forming a partial container;

(b) an article supporting member pivotally mounted on said base, said member having two sides positionable for cooperating with said base to form an enclosed container and having a third side for supporting articles thereon, said member being pivotable in one direction from said closed container position to tlocate said third side in a first article display position and being pivotable in the opposite direction from said closed container position to locate said third side in a second article display position;

(c) detent means for holding said member in said closed container position including a recess in each of said yieldable walls and a first projection for seating in one of said recesses and a second projection for seating in the opposite of said recesses;

(d) said first projection for camming a respective said yieldable wal-l outwardly from a respective recess and for camming the other said yieldable wall outwardly for seating in its recess in response to pivoting said member from said closed container position in said one direction to said first article display position thereby holding said member in engagement with said base in said first article display position; and

(e) said second projection for camming a respective said yieldable wall outwardly from a respective recess and for camming the other said yieldable wall outwardly for seating in its recess in response to pivoting said member from said closed container position in said opposite direction to said second article display position thereby holding said member in en- 3 4 gagement with said base in said second article dis- 2,626,196 1/ 1953 Sides .1. 312328 X play position. 3,136,411 6/1964 Wright 20645.18

3,179,479 4/1965 Freedman 312-1403 References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 D. Brande. Gl'6at Britain 170,288 11/1875 Miller 312328 X 1,230,238 6/1917 Templeton 312 328 X THERON E. CONDON, Przmary Examiner. 2,118,507 5/ 1938 Guttman 206--45.15 J. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner.

2,199,008 4/1940 Oshei 20645.18 

